The Jim Butcher Files: Dresden . Codex Alera . Cinder Spires & More

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by red_phoenix

I love Harry's smart aleck personality.

...as do I, Red, as do I!!

[alansplace]

A shaggy section of the kitchen floor hauled itself to its feet and came to meet me with a sheepish, sleepy shuffle. My dog, Mouse, had started off as fuzzy little grey puppy that fit into my coat pocket. Now, almost a year later, I sometimes wished I’d sent my coat to the cleaners or something. Mouse had gone from fuzz ball to fuzz barge. You couldn’t guess at a breed to look at him, but at least one of his parents must have been a wooly mammoth. The dog’s shoulders came nearly to my waist, and the vet didn’t think he was finished growing yet. That translated into an awful lot of beast for my tiny apartment.

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My grave is one of the more humble ones there. It’s standing open, too—the vampire noble who bought it for me had set it up to be that way. She’d gotten me a coffin on permanent standby, too, sort of like the president gets Air Force One, only a little more morbid. Dead Force One.

My headstone is simple white marble, a vertical stone, but it’s engraved in bold letters inlaid with gold: HARRY DRESDEN. Then a gold-inlaid pentacle, a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle—the symbol of the forces of magic contained within mortal will. Underneath it are more letters: HE DIED DOING THE RIGHT THING.

It’s a sobering sort of place to visit.

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A bass drum was strapped to his back, and a couple of wires ran to his ankles from a pair of beaters mounted on the frame. The drum beat in time to stomps of his feet. A small but genuine tuba hung from his slender shoulders, and there were more strings attached to his elbows, which moved back and forth in time to “oom” and “pah” respectively. He held an accordion in his hands, strapped to the harness on his chest. A clarinet had been clamped to the accordion so that the end was near his mouth, and there was, I swear to God, a cymbal on a frame held to his head.

Butters marched in place, red-faced, sweating, and beaming as he thumped and oompahed and blared accordion music. I just stood there staring, because while I have seen a lot of weird things, I hadn’t ever seen that. Butters wrapped up the polka and energetically banged his head against the tuba, producing a deafening clash from the cymbal.

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“Who,” said the man, his accent thick and British, “are you?”

“The Great Pumpkin,” I responded. “I’ve risen from the pumpkin patch a bit early because Butters is just that nifty. And you are?”

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“Bite me,” I answered him. “Get your own book, Kemmlerite.”

“I have nothing but disdain for the madman Kemmler,” he spat. “Have a care what insults you offer. This need not involve you at all, Dresden.”

That gave me a moment’s pause, as they say. Taking on arrogant, powerful dark wizards is one thing. Taking on ones who have done their homework and who know who you are is something else entirely. It was my turn to be rattled.

The dark figure noted it. His not-human voice swayed into the night again in a low laugh.

“Touche, O dark master of evil bathrobes,” I said. “But I’m still not giving you my copy of the book.”

[Tony Richards]

Originally Posted by red_phoenix

I love Harry's smart aleck personality.

Couldn't agree more. It's just not true that 'nobody loves a smart aleck.'

[leanansidhe]

I love all the snippets from the books , this thread is great. This is my absolute favourite series. You can't help loving these characters, good or bad. I can't count how many times I've burst out laughing while reading these books. He's such a smarty pants. This was the best line in the whole series so far for me:

"Thomas scowled. “An errand is getting a tank of gas or picking up a carton of milk or something. It is not getting chased by flying purple pyromaniac gorillas hurling incendiary poo.”

I almost cried because I was laughing so hard the first time I read it.

I just started re-reading the series and it's good to see how many fans of Dresden there are here .

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by leanansidhe2

I love all the snippets from the books , this thread is great. This is my absolute favourite series. You can't help loving these characters, good or bad. I can't count how many times I've burst out laughing while reading these books. He's such a smarty pants. This was the best line in the whole series so far for me:



I almost cried because I was laughing so hard the first time I read it.

I just started re-reading the series and it's good to see how many fans of Dresden there are here .

Good of you to join us, WELCOME!

[leanansidhe]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Good of you to join us, WELCOME!

Thank you Alan! Great to be here

[alansplace]

“We are not going to die.”

Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. “We’re not?”

“No. And do you know why?”

He shook his head.

“Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because I’m too stubborn to die.” I hauled on the shirt even harder. “And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.”

He blinked.

“Polka will never die!” I shouted at him. “Say it!”

He swallowed. “Polka will never die?”

“Again!”

“P-p-polka will never die,” he stammered.

I shook him a little. “Louder!”

“Polka will never die!” he shrieked.

“We’re going to make it!” I shouted.

“Polka will never die!” Butters screamed.

[red_phoenix]

Butters is such a great character.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by red_phoenix

Butters is such a great character.

I agree. Also a lot of the appeal of Dead Beat for me is due to the emergence of Butters as a braver fellow that he ever dreamed that he could be. Along with that is the emergence of Mouse's character and also Ramirez. And of course, Sue!

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Zowie!! Blood Rites was SUPER!! Now on to the one I've always considered as my favorite (ignoring the fact that I've also always said that my favorite is the one I'm currently reading), Dead Beat!!

WOWZERS! Loved re-reading Dead Beat. I finished it last night! Now on to Proven Guilty!!

[leanansidhe]

Originally Posted by red_phoenix

Butters is such a great character.

He is so hilarious. I like that his character has grown so much over the last few books. He's really come out of his shell.

Another great character is Sanya, I love his phrase "Small, but fierce!" when he refers to Murphy.

I get too involved with these characters .

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Good of you to join us, WELCOME!

Welcome Lea. (You are immediately assigned the nickname Lea, becasue even in my head, I never fully pronounce Leanandsidhe!)

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by leanansidhe2

He is so hilarious. I like that his character has grown so much over the last few books. He's really come out of his shell.

Another great character is Sanya, I love his phrase "Small, but fierce!" when he refers to Murphy.

I get too involved with these characters .

The fact that you want to get involved with and wish to engage with so many of his characters is the beauty of Butcher's story-telling ability and the skillfulness of his writing.

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

Welcome Lea. (You are immediately assigned the nickname Lea, becasue even in my head, I never fully pronounce Leanandsidhe!)

Naw! She's Junior for now! Look at her current 'user title', 'Junior Member'! Lea can come later. I can hear Sean Connery calling Harrison Ford 'junior' and that's just plain funny!

[leanansidhe]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Naw! She's Junior for now! Look at her current 'user title', 'Junior Member'! Lea can come later. I can hear Sean Connery calling Harrison Ford 'junior' and that's just plain funny!

You wait until I can change that title....I think I can after 10 posts or something. I have to come up with something good, definitely can't do the Junior thing. I'm at least 1000 years old .


ETA: Changed now

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Naw! She's Junior for now! Look at her current 'user title', 'Junior Member'! Lea can come later. I can hear Sean Connery calling Harrison Ford 'junior' and that's just plain funny!

Originally Posted by leanansidhe2

You wait until I can change that title....I think I can after 10 posts or something. I have to come up with something good, definitely can't do the Junior thing. I'm at least 1000 years old .


ETA: Changed now

Okay....I take it back!